


Follow The Leader

by Tommykaine



Category: Original Work
Genre: Challenge Response, copying and reposting this work elsewhere without my permission is strictly forbidden!
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-02
Updated: 2019-03-02
Packaged: 2019-11-08 07:31:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 515
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17977016
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tommykaine/pseuds/Tommykaine
Summary: A short one shot on leadership and desperation.





	Follow The Leader

**Author's Note:**

> Written for the 3rd week of the COW-T challenge by LandeDiFandom, using the prompt Sabbia a perdita d’occhio, tra le ultime colline e il mare. (Alessandro Baricco, Oceano mare) ---> (“Sand as far as the eye can see, inbetween the last hills and the sea.”)

There was nothing but sand to see. Nothing but sand as far as the eye could see, since they left the safety of the hills to try and reach the sea, in the hope that they would find the others there.

They'd been travelling so far by then, there was nothing they could do but keep on moving forward. Their last bite of food had been eaten, the last sip of water had felt like a death sentence as their leader forced his half-dying comrade to drink it.

He'd said they were not to lose hope. That it was not over yet. As empty as his words had felt, a small flicker of hope survived in the heart of his comrades.

Deep inside, Mael had known that it was useless. He knew there was no way they would reach the beach, and even if they did, what then? What guaranteed was that their allies would be waiting there, ready to welcome them with open arms and share their resources with them?

For all they knew, they might have been annihiliated by the enemy's forces, or the journey might have proved to be too treacherous, or they might have decided that it was a waste of time and resources after all.

Mael thought of this, and then he saw the face of his people. The ones that had been with him so far, the ones that had risked everything to follow him, and would do it all over again if he just gave the order.

He could not betray them like that. He could not lose hope.

So he grinned through his fear and said there was nothing to worry about, that it was all expected, all exactly as planned, and anyone saying otherwise was just misguided or downright malicious.

So they gained another step, and another, and yet another one, and the more steps they gained on the enemy they closer they were to safety, even if it was so far that it seemed impossible.

What else could he do? Even if it was false hope, what else was there that he could give to them? Giving up would be easy, but Mael was not the one to choose the easy way out.

He would fight, for as long as his blood pumped in his veins and his heart could still beat, for as long as he could breathe and his legs would keep him forward, he would do it.

And he knew, deep down he knew that his brethrens would do the same.

And he was so, so proud of every single one of them.

So he could not lose hope, he could not give up and cry, and let everyone see how scared he was, because if he fell then everyone would crumble down with him, and he could not allow that.

Even if he had to hold them together himself through sheer willpower, even if it took lying and grinning through his pain and pretending that his feet were not about to give up.

Because that was his job as a leader.


End file.
